The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. Thus you shall bring water out of the rock for them; thus you shall provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.”
Numbers 20:7-8 NRSVue
There is still a fair amount of snow in the woods in our part of Southern Ontario but many of the streams and rivers are swelling and running vigorously as the days warm. Snow as one form of accumulated precipitation will become another before long, and in a few months we'll be enjoying yet another as vapour rises off lakes and other bodies of water on Summer mornings
This is World Water Day and Canada is blessed with the holy, small-t trinity of water in a way that few other countries on Earth enjoy.Yet it may be because of the abundance that we are inclined to take drinkable, swimmable, fishable water for granted.
Keepers of the Water are First Nations, Métis, Inuit, environmental groups, concerned citizens, and communities working together for the protection of water, air, land, and all living things within the Arctic Ocean Drainage Basin. Keepers of the Water understand that clean, fresh water is invaluable to life and the environment for a sustainable, balanced, and just future for the survival of all of the life we share on this incredible planet.
Our daughter-in-law, Rebekah, is just back from the annual retreat for the organization she works for called Our Living Waters which is "a collaborative Network of organizations working together to achieve the ambitious goal of 'all waters in good health by 2030'" As the name and description of purpose suggest their work is to assist the many organizations which address water quality across the country to stay aware of the important work everyone else is doing.
I want to recognize this day because most religions uphold the sacred nature of water, including Christianity. There are ablution rituals, including bathing, and most Christians baptize believers, some by total immersion in water. Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan and he described himself as Living Water (John 4:10). Indigenous spirituality on different continents recognizes the importance of water and designates Water Keepers.
I heard an interview with Claudiu Murgan who has a new anthology called Love Letters to Water with 34 contributors from a variety of perspectives. One of them wonders if we should say a prayer each time we drink a glass of water. There was a time when I would have dismissed this as "new agey" but knowing what we do about the disregard for precious water and its increasing scarcity, saying that prayer might bring us back to our senses.
Here is the Toronto Star link to an article by Andrew Stegemann, executive director of Waters for Life which addresses, the perils, possibilities, and imperatives of water stewardship
Yes we should remember to be thankful for our glass of water. The majority of people on the planet do not have a secure, clean water supply. KB
ReplyDeleteI need to correct myself. Global Affairs Canada (Feberal government) website cites it as 40%:
ReplyDelete'Clean, accessible water is critical to human health, a healthy environment, poverty reduction, gender equality, a sustainable economy, and peace and security, andyet over 40% of the global population does not have access to sufficient clean water. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, according to UN-Water. The lack of water poses a major threat to several sectors, including food security. Agriculture uses about 70% of the world’s accessible freshwater. Developing countries are most affected by water shortages, flooding and poor water quality. Up to 80% of illnesses in the developing world are linked to inadequate water and sanitation. In many countries, pollution or rising sea levels are contaminating trusted water sources." A dire prediction-KB
Thanks for this info Kathy. In addition, I watched a United Nations Water Reort panel yesterday during which the lead speaker said that there are already 2.2 billion people around the world who are living with precarious access to clean water. They also pointed out that with climate change the hydrological cycle has been seriously disrupted so that many regions either have too much water (floods, extreme storms) or too little (severe drought.) It's a grim picture.
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